2010 Domaine du Vieux Château (Daniel-Etienne Defaix), Chablis 1er Cru "Côte de Lechet"

I’ve declared Chablis to be the best value in white Burgundy, and among the best values in white wine globally, many times. From the humble villages to the Grand Crus, all deliver best in class bang for your buck. But within this small hamlet there is one address where the word “value” ascends to breathtaking heights, indeed there should be a new word to describe what wine lovers encounter in the cellars of the Domaine du Vieux Château. This is where Daniel-Etienne Defaix allows his Premier and Grand Crus to age for an astonishing eight to ten years or more in tanks before he bottles them and then releases them to us, here in the U.S. eagerly awaiting another perfectly aged, mineral drenched gem. In case I didn’t mention it enough, this is the very last of the 2010, a generationally great vintage. Do not miss out! In an era when Burgundian whites are so often (a) overpriced and (b) engineered for quick release and young drinking, Defaix remains one of the last defenders of long, slow a